THE METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH

On October 29, 2016, during the session of the Board adjunct to the Minister, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia delivered a speech on the concept of “Nation-army” ideology.

The program received controversial reception

among the public, and a diversity of views was formed, both in the special expert groups and in the broad public discourse (media).

Within the framework of this project, a public expertise of the “Nation-army” ideology was carried out with the aim of a deep analysis of the given doctrine. In the present study, Focus Groups and Qualitative Interviews were applied to study and analyze the scope of the issues set for the project objectives and issues, as well as to develop new suggestions related to the “Nation-army” concept, with the participation of Armenian state and non-state university students.At this stage of the project, 10 focus groups have been implemented, which included mixed groups of students and activists, including students from Yerevan State University, Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi, Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Brusov, American University of Armenia, Komitas State Conservatory, Terlemezyan State College of Fine Arts. The

activists included participants and supporters of the initiative groups and movements against the concept of nation-army.

A targeted sample was used to select the interviewees.

First of all, it should be noted that all the students, regardless of their activity and involvement in initiative groups, were generally well informed about the Nation-army program. For those who did not have direct involvement in the movement, the source of basic information is first of all the media, then acquaintances and friends.

Meanwhile, students who had not received information on the concept due to personal interest or participation in the initiative, in general had an incomplete idea about the concept, which was apparent in failing to distinguish the projects “I have the Honor” and “I am”, or simply in the lack of knowledge about them.

Below we present the results of the analysis of the focus groups

Question: What are the directions of the cooperation and mutual links between the concepts of “nation” and “army”?

Within the context of this question the following main points prevailed in the answers.

The views of the focus group on this issue have two dimensions. One of them is related to the need

to emphasize the interconnection of these two terms, and in the view of those who share this view, the “nation” and “army” were indivisible throughout our history, and there was no need for additional concept or ideology to emphasize their interconnection. Moreover, this view was voiced at least twice in 8 out of 10 realized focus groups.

The other perspective represents the ideal model of cooperation between the nation and the army, which, according to the participants of the focus group, is the development and guidance of each professional field for the benefit of the army.

Typical Quotes ↓

We must understand that the army does not need to be cut from science, art and other spheres. We all understand that we are a country at war, we have a lot of problems, but at the same time, if there is no culture, it can not be considered a developed country. And by spending only on the army, the state is militarized. Then, the concept of nation-army is not written on paper as a document, so that we would know what it is. There are ideas that can be interpreted in a thousand ways. They said that the bill of deferment is part of the nation-army concept, but what is the nation-army, everybody understands in their own In 97-98 it was Vazgen Sargsyan, I think, who put forward the idea of “nation-army”. In recent years, Zhirayr Sefilyan has offered a nation- army concept, so it could be debated.

2nd-year student of piano department of Komitas State Conservatory, has not served in the army

Our geographical position was the imperative, for which we were altogether a nation- army in all the epochs of Perhaps the name is new, but it has existed before, and we see it in Avarayr, Sardarapat. In April we saw that, during the Artsakh war we also saw that, in case of an imperative we become united. For me the nation-army is associated with that union, which is demonstrated by direct action during the war, and during peacetime, when each one is in their place.

4th-year student at the YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology, a fourth year distance learning student at the Faculty of Law, a second year student at Vazgen Sargsyan Military University

(will depart for service in July 2018 as an officer)

The version of the nation-army cooperation that was suggested by the MoD, according to the respondents, can lead to the militarization of the state. Participants perceive this in a negative context and are concerned with the prospects of development in the economy, science and education spheres of the country.

Typical Quotes ↓

Saying “Nation-army”, I come to think of Sparta’s example. That is, if you are not fit for the service, you are killed. In other words, apart from the army, besides the militarized function, the nation is not fit for anything else. In fact, this is good for small nations in the sense that every citizen of the Republic of Armenia should invest in defense. But it is also part of the defense when a physicist creates a weapon in his lab. Anyone who develops the state, whether economist, sociologist, or other profession, contributes to the formation of a normal army. In order to build a strong army, it is necessary to raise the level of the army, not to make the country the Sparta. This is my view of the relationship between the terms nation and army. I do not think the whole nation should serve. The authorities must come out of “fidayi” (i.e. “freedom fighters”) mentality and adopt a state-minded mentality”

YSU Faculty of Physics, Radiophysicist, PhD student, has not served

If we look at things from the point of view of organicism, the army and the nation are different parts of the same organism. And if we project the theory on the reality, when the four-day war broke out and it became clear that Azerbaijan launched a military operation against Artsakh, the whole nation stood up. If we take into consideration the fact that almost 95% of men are in the reserve, it will become clear that there is a nation-army, it is just necessary to develop and regulate

2nd-year student of the Department of Social Policy and Administration, Faculty of Sociology,

YSU, has served in the army

On the other hand, according to the participants of the focus group, the majority of RA citizens do not have a clear understanding of the proposed concept.

Typical Quote ↓

In my opinion, the nation-army concept is based on the idea that everyone will serve as soon as he is eighteen years old, because the connection between the army and society has been cut off. And the problem comes from the fact that many are not psychologically ready and do not realize where they go and There is no goal to protect the motherland, because the homeland concept is a bit distorted. If everybody understands why he / she goes, he / she will go with pleasure and won’t think twice or lose time.

2nd-year student of the Department of Social Policy and Administration of YSU Faculty of

Sociology, has not served

There are few citizens who have a healthy mindset, those who understand correctly the terms of the nation and the We have two attitudes among young people – either from a maximalist viewpoint that brings it to nationalism, or to deny it and see everything as filled with too much “pathos”. Both cases are problematic, that is why we have a problem to form a healthy Armenian citizen. In order to correctly perceive both the army and the nation.

1st-year student of English and Literature Master Program at Yerevan State Linguistic and Social University after V. Brusov, has not served

When asked what kind of problems the “nation-army” program is going to solve, the most common and dominant category among all groups is the following:

The majority of focus group participants believe that the concept does not address any fundamental issues or implies systemic change, but is aimed at addressing the seemingly urgent problem at the moment, which, according to participants, is the provision of population numbers in the army as a result of demographic data, in particular the low birth numbers.

Typical Quotes ↓

The fact is that human resources are diminished. Emigration, corruption, all of this have their impact. This new law solves the issue, that is, does not let people continue their education, takes them to the army, ensures the country’s security at this time. But that law, accordingly, solves only today’s problem, but not tomorrow (figuratively). In a few years, we will face a bigger problem. A few years later, the problem we have now, will be

2nd-year string section student at the Komitas State Conservatory, has served in the army

In the next five years, simply the number of officers will increase, and in five years we will come back to the same situation in which we are It only solves the problem of military staff and army replenishment, for a few years.

4th-year female student of Computer Science at

American University of Armenia

Among the goals of the Nation-army projects (“I have the honor”, “I am”) focus group participants also listed socio-economic, household, employment issues, which are to to an extent overcome by these projects, but these results are short-term and therefore not promising in the long run.

Among the serious problems solved through the “Nation-army” program, security and defense were highlighted, as well as the restoration of military traditions and the vigilance of citizens towards the army’s issues, albeit by few participants. However, these views were expressed in such formulations that showed that the participants were skeptical about the effectiveness of these solutions, that is, the Nation-Army concept will try to solve, rather than actually solve these issues.

Participants did not identify issues such as military-political education, raising the respect toward the military profession, education, military- industrial development, military diplomacy acti- vation, strengthening public confidence in the armed forces.

When we tried to draw their attention to these problems, we got the similar and unequivocal respon- ses that the solution of those issues was beyond the scope of the “Nation-Army” program.

Typical Quotes ↓

It also solves the socio-economic issues, as the salary is much higher in the army than in other places. For example, if I were eighteen years old, I would be able to use the “I have the Honor” program. When you finish, you sign a contract and return as an officer. It means getting higher salaries. Some people see only the bad things in any change. People just do not expect that all the good things written will be carried out. They say we will give five million drams in three years. But since there is no confidence, people think, how can we know what will happen in three years? The biggest problem is the lack of confidence.

The nation-army program solves the problem of The nation-army as a concept solves the problem of physical security. It’s a priority, the rest is a consequence of all that.

YSU Faculty of International Relations student, exempt from the army, registered in the reserve

In this concept they try to restore the old traditions and carry out a revolution of Although we perceive the army as a sanctuary, this concept is trying to exclude the bad things with which the army was associated with.

4th-year student at the YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology, a fourth year distance learning student at the Faculty of Law, a second year student at Vazgen Sargsyan Military University

(will depart for service in July 2018 as an officer)

It is solving the problem of national unity. The four-day war in April showed that all the people are

becoming soldiers. Even disabled people who could hardly walk were taking arms in those days.

YSU 2nd-year student of the Faculty of Philosophy, has served in the army

They have a financial component, circulating money inside the state and keeping citizens in Armenia. Issues of values are being solved. Soldier vs. soldier, soldier vs. officer relations are being regulated, the institution of the “zemlyak” disappears and the nation becomes a unit of

YSU Faculty of International Relations student, exempted from the army, registered in the reserve

When we asked the respondents to separate the outcomes and consequences, the viewpoints on those were almost non-existent, which was justified by the need for time and saying that it was too early to speak about results. And the consequences were more evident for the participants.

According to the majority of participants, the result of solving the problem of providing the necessary number of troops in the army is the replacement of qualitative indicators in the army by quantity. The army will have enough soldiers, but not equipped with skillful and knowledgeable soldiers.

The other concerns expressed in the participants’ views also referred to the inefficiency of the program. They alleged that this program would most likely involve the socially vulnerable categories, who will be solving their financial and daily bread issues, as well as those who would not be able to get education and would like to receive education through this channel; a fact which was negatively assessed by the students.

The fact that military service has been linked to the deferment issue may result in regression that we can have in the fields of science, culture and professionalism, such as medicine and mathematics. Particularly concerned about this issue were the students of Yerevan State Conservatory of Komitas and Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi. According to the Komitas State Conservatory students, there are no conditions in the army that would enable musicians to apply their professional skills during their service and be “fit” after their return from the army. The term “professionally useless” was also voiced.

Typical Quote ↓

In the first days, we joined the striking students, tried to present the art sphere, art issues, but we perceived in a little wrong way, as if we did not want to go to the army. We do not say we are against serving, but there is a somewhat more deep-rooted question. In our field, particularly in the field of performing arts, even if we do not train for two weeks, we will become completely useless I’m not even talking about two years.

Female, 2nd-year string section student at the

Komitas State Conservatory

The army doesn’t need merely a number of people, does it? Let me tell you about medical profession. There are vacancies for three-four doctors

in all the military units in Armenia. It’s because of the eighteen years that they go to the army and they do not manage to become a doctor. There will be no doctors at military units in two or three years, and there are few military doctors … There should be some thresholds, anyone who is studying should be allowed to continue their education, and whoever fails to go to the army.

Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi, 3rd-year student of General Medicine

faculty, has served in the army

Students studying humanities were more or less aware of the use of their own specialties within the framework of the Nation-army program, such as sociology, philosophy, psychology, linguistics, explaining that the army can become their study field.

Typical Quote ↓

I did not dream to become a military man, but when I was studying as a freshman, the Defense Ministry presented this project, which I I participated in the project, and we are the first generation, from which many things depended. The program is good, but there are flaws. For example, we are not accustomed to the way of teaching. We are pleased with the content of the program. Our group has a clear understanding of where we are going, and the conviction that something can change with us.

4th-year student at the YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology, a fourth year distance

learning student at the Faculty of Law, a second year student at Vazgen Sargsyan Military University (will depart for service in July 2018 as an officer)

YSU, Faculty of Chemistry, 2nd year student,

has not served

Cultural and educational issues should not be confused with the service at all. Service is a necessity, it develops a world outlook, something that cannot be achieved in any field. That’s what they say, the boy becomes a man. You also learn independence. What happened in April makes you understand that you can go back and not There are unwritten laws, often the cowards become the most brave ones. In April, sometimes newcomers were more noticed than those who had a military education. The officers who had served for fifteen years were astonished by what was done by soldiers who had served only four months.

YSU 2nd-year student of the Faculty of

Philosophy, has served

As a consequence, the participants mentioned problems expected to emerge between the officer institute of the new generation and already existing, old-fashioned officer corps.

Typical quote ↓

Officers of the new generation and long-time officers in the system will definitely collide, because they have a different system of values and culture. This, in its turn, will cause problems.

The impact of the “Nation-army” program on raising the public confidence in the Armed Forces and the reputation of the military profession will be possible only when we have results and successful cases. But since most of the citizens involved in this program are aiming to solve their own household or employment problems, the program is vulnerable from that point of view.

The absence of an alternative is mentioned as another drawback of the program.

Typical Quote ↓

But if there was an alternative that you could accept, learn, get deferment, then “I have the Honor” and “I am” programs could be seen in a different light. Otherwise, it turns out that they simply take everyone to the army, under the disguise of these programs. In the case of “I have the Honor” program they solve the problem of the officers, because the salary does not correspond to the difficulty of the There will also be a problem between the officers who have studied at Vazgen Sargsyan’s institution, and the officers who have studied in universities, and serve according to the “I have the Honor” so they had not gone through that “kitchen”. And that will cause problems. If there was an alternative that would have been implemented in parallel with the “I have the Honor” program, it would be much better. But if the only option is “I have the Honor” program, that is, study at the University for four years and then go to an officer and leave it incomplete, then it is a negative phenomenon.

YSU Faculty of International Relations student, activist of the movement “For Science Development”,

has served in the army

However, the opposite view was also mentioned, even though rarely.

Typical Quote ↓

For the first time, the government offers an alternative. Along with the compulsory service, it offers an alternative, says “come, become an officer”, with the help of “I have the honor” or “I am”. A person gets a lot of

4th-year student at the YSU Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology, a fourth year distance learning student at the Faculty of Law, a second year student at Vazgen Sargsyan Military University

(will depart for service in July 2018 as an officer)

When asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the Nation-Army program on the reduction of corruption risks in the armed forces, improving the conditions of the military units and the possibility of preventing potential abuses through the “Ditaket” program, in this case it was necessary to present the essence of the “Ditaket” to the majority of the participants in the group. The participants were mostly unaware of its existence. This project, according to the participants, is a very good idea, but the problem is the

impartiality of the data. And since the customer is the MoD, the participants did not give credence to the data analysis and presentation of the results.

Typical Quote ↓

They have made a “fantastic” research based on asking the soldier who is on the front line, whether he considers himself poor or not. First, what does it mean? These leaflets are distributed, but the boys are shy of their friends, for example, to say that the money is not enough for food. And then it is proudly declared that the soldier standing on the front line does not consider himself a poor person.

YSU Faculty of Sociology, student, has served in

the army, student activist

Participants also expressed their concern that after the end of the service some issues can be overlooked by former soldiers, who will be looking at them as a passed stage, while during the service these issues seemed more acute and perceptible than later, so they may avoid talking about some important issues. On the other hand, the Focus group believes that those who are discharged may not be sincere, fearing to answer questions.

Typical Quote ↓

It seems to me that no matter how much they talk about army issues, very few of them will be covered because the state does not like to say that these problems exist in the army. Most of them will not be covered. In other words, they will collect those materials, filter them, and eventually get some nice report. Then they will say in a good way that there are such issues in the army that we are going to solve in the next five years and they will not solve it.

Computer Science student, American University of Armenia, has served in the army

Those sociological surveys are not for the minister; everyone knows very well what problems are, these polls are there to show the

YSU 2nd-year student of the Philosophy Department, has served in the army

The participants highlighted the importance of giving clear instructions to each profession in the military and civilian areas, and the necessary mechanisms to involve different groups of society, the meaning of which is to support the army within the framework of its own activities, but not through direct involvement in the army.

mathematicians should be given such assignments to improve the military industry.

4th-year student at the Faculty of Computer Science at Merikyan University, not served

The other mechanism, which was heard in all groups, and was dominant among men, whether having served in the Armed Forces or not, as well as female participants, was that the army had problems, which had to be solved as a priority. Among these problems were highlighted the social and psychological state of the soldier, soldier-soldier and soldier-officer relations, current army culture and lack of mechanisms for the regulation of informal relations.

Typical Quotes ↓

It seems to us that everything in the army is ideal, and these projects open doors, but that’s not the case. First, we have to solve this problem, so that people would want to go to the

2nd-year student at Journalism Department of Yerevan State Linguistic and Social University after

Brusov

Typical Quote ↓

I would suggest involvement in the industries. For example, there are certain armaments that are not brought to Armenia. Now a question arises, if we can build a weapon that is competitive. In my opinion, it is possible. For example, engineers or

In addition, it should be taken into consideration that parents want to free their children from the service, because the atmosphere in the army really gives rise to concerns and is Non-statutory relations, which are “boyish”, include some strict rules, jungle-like situations, and there are some “night” commanders. The moral-psychological atmosphere must be strictly controlled. A complete neglected situation. Things are happening that cannot be perceived by the normal human brain. People are led to suicide, the army should not be a jail, right? Each subdivision has its own rules of the game, you fall into it, and you have to be like them. It’s a shame. The solution of these issues should be the primary one.

3rd-year student at Yerevan State Conservatoryafter Komitas, has served

Opinions on the financial and economic component of the “Nation-army” concept , as well as on collecting 1000 AMD per month from the Armenian employees. For the Military Service Insurance Fund, were the following ones:

The opinions on the collection of 1000 AMD were divided into two groups: “against” and “for”, and the prevailing party was “against”. These opinions are based on the following arguments:

The army has to be financed by the state budget.

It’s a mistake to collect the same rate from people with the lowest wages and higher income.

There is no certainty that these amounts will serve their primary goals.

The program would be timely at a time when we were a new government, but now such a program is not acceptable.

Typical Quote ↓

I also have a very negative opinion about Because the Ministry of Defense makes a lot of unjustified expenses. The latest discoveries that they’ve paid as many as millions of dollars for flowers, not to mention cars, or the fact that our generals are millionaire businessmen. And against this background, they play on people’s emotions and collect money.YSU 2nd-year student at the Faculty of Applied Mathematics, has served in the army

The “pro” opinions were not not unambiguous, mainly supporters say that the idea of the initiative is good, but it should not have been done by the Minister of Defense. Such an initiative is a serious factor in terms of security, particularly from the point of view of our adversary’s assessment of our resources.

Typical Quotes ↓

it simply should not have come out of the mouth of the Minister of Let’s say, for example, the Minister of Social Affairs, or whoever wants, but not the Minister of Defense. He must have been the strictest, the strongest man. He stands at the head of a structure that protects the borders of our state. He had to keep his seriousness rather than say “we need a thousand drams to help the army”. On the contrary, he should have said, our army is stable and secure, we do not need anything. They could have done it in a different way.

YSU, Faculty of International Relations, 2nd-year student of the Faculty of Political Science

The nation-army is a concept developed by the whole people through the ages, and it is hardly possible to have an Therefore, we should not cultivate a new concept, but change the existing concept, according to our times. Time is needed to evaluate these changes: the time will show whether they are good or bad.

Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi, Faculty of General Medicine, 7th-year student, has served in the army

The system can not be created in one day or created by one person. There was a system of deferment and it was not necessary to eliminate it one day, but it could be improved. For example, if weak students of a weak university had received deferment in the past, now they could put some stricter criteria. But it is not unequivocal, there are schools where it is easy to collect high scores and there are strict schools where even worthy students earn high scores with difficulty, so this would also lead to inequality. Under this new law, the issue of inequality is not

2nd-year student at the American University of Armenia, Computer Science, has not served

To the question if the participants had the opportunity to change anything in the “Nation-Army” program and make it more favorable for society, what would they change, what is more significant for them, the majority of the participants supported improvement of the program, the elimination of defects, rather than the

elimination of the entire concept. The alternative proposal was to direct the Nation-Army program vectors to the solution of the internal problems of the armed forces.

The Main Suggestions were the following

Start a public awareness campaign aimed at raising public confidence in the army,

Make serious systemic changes inside the army, improve service conditio ns, eliminate abuses of the office, reduce corruption risks, and as a result the confidence threshold will rise, and citizens will be ready to serve in the Armed Forces, including in peaceful conditions

Typical Quotes ↓

Inallspheres, it is necessary tomake systemic changes and then only to talk about new reforms. Until corruption in the army does not end, until the institution of friend-relative is not abolished, until the unhealthy people are taken to the army, nothing will .. The problem is that people should not be required to engage in compulsory way, but people should want to serve. For example, all the spheres where reforms will be carried out, will be attractive for the people. Now people have a stereotype that nothing will change. And parents worry about their children, preferring them to be away from them, but not to go to the army.

The context is very important. In the current context, the nation-army concepts is scary. I would presume that there would be a And the nation-army presupposes that there is already a certain militarization. Something else could have been chosen, but that’s something to think about. It would have been necessary to choose something that had to deal with all this, but would not have to be militarized.

Terlemezian State College of Fine Arts, has served, “For Science Development” movement activists

The word “army” already scares a large part of the society. If you want to change something by the concept of the nation-army, you must inspire people, convince them that we are going toward improvement. to go for the better. Even if they want to do good, people’s negative attitudes will hinder

2nd-year student of YSU, Faculty of Chemistry, has not served

The majority of respondents consider that the Nation-Army program does not include effective military-political classroom-oriented and civilian awareness-raising campaigns, they suggested new programs of military education, which would include pre-school and school-age educational establishments (kindergartens, schools).

Typical Quote ↓

Military patriotism has reached its peak, and the existing resources should be used It is not necessary for every citizen to have connection with the army.

YSU Faculty of International Relations, student of “For Science Development” movement, has served in the army

The participants used the terms “society- army”, “legal citizen”, “citizen of the Republic of Armenia” and “state-army” more than the words “Armenian” and “Armenian nation”. From their judgments, one can assume that they perceive army and view the state as a major safeguard for the security of the state, economic security and general development of the state. In spite of that perception, the participants have not offered an alternative title for the “nation-army” concept. According to them, the important thing is not the title, but the content.

It is noteworthy that all, both negative and positive examples were mainly viewed through a retrospective assessment of the April war. According to the participants, regardless of such programs and concepts, each member of the nation is ready to engage in the army in a war and crisis situation. On the other hand, cases of non-targeted use of material support by the public in the wake of the April war have deepened the degree of mistrust towards the army as an institute and a system.

Typical Quote ↓

In the consciousness of the majority of the people, the army is a fetishized This is why the adequate perception of the army is very important.

Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi, Faculty of General Medicine,

7th-year student, has served

CONCLUSION

Summarizing the results of the focus groups implemented with the students of state and non-state Higher Education Institutions, we can conclude that the “Nation-Army” program is generally perceived by the students with serious reservations. Students are mainly negatively affected, but they do not completely deny the program’s provisions. It is obvious from the position of the participants that they have insufficient confidence in the effectiveness of the proposed concept and the institution implementing it, the MoD, which explains their negative attitude. Besides, not all students have a complete and adequate understanding of the “Nation- army” program, unless they are the activists of the student movement or have directly been exposed to the problem. For others, there is a lack of awareness.

Thus, we can state the following conclusions:

“Nation” and “Army” were inseparable throughout our history, and there was no need for further conception or ideology to emphasize their cohesion or their

The ideal model of nation’s and army’s cooperation is the development and guidance of every professional field for the benefit of the

The version of the nation-army cooperation that has been put forward by the Defense Ministry suggests that it may lead to the state’s militarization

In the opinion of the participants, the concept does not address any deep-rooted issues or imply a systemic change, but is aimed at addressing the necessary or urgent problems at the moment, such as demography-related issues, in particular, as a result of the low birth

The “Nation-army” program’s specific projects, such as “I have the honor” and “I am,” to an extent help to overcome socio-economic problems, but these solutions are also short-term and not promising.

When we asked the respondents to separate outcomes and consequences, there were almost no viewpoints on the outcomes, which was justified by saying that there is still a need for time and it is too early to speak about results. Meanwhile, the consequences were much more obvious for the

With the exception of the numbers of the army, and in certain ways, solving certain socioeconomic issues, the program does not overcome other significant problems. Among these problems, which, according to the participants, the concept does not offer viable solutions to, are such problems as military-political upbringing, defense and security, raising the prestige of the military profession, the development of military- industrial sphere, the activation of military diplomacy, strengthening public confidence in the armed forces.

According to the majority of the participants, the result of solving the problem of providing the necessary number of troops in the army would be the replacement of qualitative indicators in the army by The army will be equipped with many soldiers, but not skilled and conscious soldiers.

The fact that the issue of military service has been linked to the deferment, lead to serious problems in science and culture, promoting a certain The students of Komitas State Conservatory were particularly worried about this issue. They claim that there are no suitable conditions in the army that would allow the musicians to use their professional skills during their service and remain “fit” after the demobilization (they mentioned only the inability to develop a professional career as the only negative consequence of military service).

According to the participants, the impact of the “Nation-army” program on raising the public confidence in the Armed Forces and the reputation of the military profession will be possible to see only when we have results and successful cases. But since most of the citizens involved in this program have resorted to that step, in order to deal with their own everyday employment problems, the program is vulnerable from that point of

As a result of the “Nation-army” program the participants have also mentioned the lack of

The “Ditaket” project of the Nation-Army project is a very good idea in terms of reducing corruption risks in the armed forces, improving the conditions of the military units and preventing potential abuses, but the problem is the impartiality of the data. And since the customer is the Ministry of Defense, the analysis of this survey data and presentation of results does not inspire positive expectations among the participants.

As a method to involve the citizens and various groups of the society into the military sphere, the participants highlighted the importance of giving clear instructions to each field of expertise to support the army within the framework of its activities, but not directly through involvement in the army.

The other point, which was heard in all groups, was dominant among men, both those who have served in the Armed Forces and those who have not, as well as with female respondents, that the army had serious problems inside and it was their solution that should have been a priority, and the MoD should have started with these.

The participants were more interested in the improvement of the program, the removal of the deficiencies, rather than the elimination of the whole concept. The most common alternative proposal was to direct the Nation-Army program vectors to the solution of the internal problems of the armed forces. Instead of the critical approach toward the program, there has not been a suggestion to give “Nation-army” program an alternative title, which was justified by saying that what matters is the ↵content rather than the title.